Hall of Fame
Position: Nose Guard
Years: 1972-75
Place of Birth: Eufaula, OK
Date of Birth: November 19, 1953
Jersey Number: 91
Height: 6-1
Weight: 246
High School: Eufaula (OK)
An All-American on the Oklahoma teams that claimed back-to-back national titles, Dewey Selmon dominated on the defensive line for the Sooners during one of the most impressive winning streaks in college football history. The Eufaula, Oklahoma, native becomes the 23rd Oklahoma player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame.
A two-time First Team All-American (consensus in 1975), Selmon starred for Hall of Fame coach Barry Switzer and the Sooners from 1972-75, helping them to national titles in 1974 and 1975. Oklahoma sewed up the 1975 national championship by beating No. 5 Michigan 14-6 in the Orange Bowl as Selmon recorded 13 tackles, an OU bowl game record by a defensive lineman. His Sooners held the Wolverines to just 202 offensive yards in the game.
With Selmon as a starter from 1973-75, OU went a remarkable 32-1-1, boasting four-consecutive top-three final AP rankings at No. 2 in 1972, No. 3 in 1973 and No. 1 in 1974 and 1975. The Sooners allowed just 12.1 points per game in 1973, 8.4 in 1974 and 12.8 in 1975. His 34-career starts were the second-most by an OU defensive lineman at the end of his career. His teammates included his brothers Lee Roy Selmon a fellow Hall of Fame inductee and a 1975 NFF National Scholar-Athlete, and Lucious Selmon, also a First Team All-American. In 2022, OU unveiled a statue of the three brothers in recognition of their unique contributions at OU.
Selmon finished his OU career with 325 tackles, 25 tackles for loss (for 109 yards), three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In a 16-13 win over Texas in 1974, he registered 22 tackles, which still stands as the single-game school record by a defensive lineman. He is one of only five OU defensive linemen in school history to record 100-plus tackle seasons twice. A two-time First Team All-Big Eight selection, Selmon contributions also included four-straight Big Eight titles from 1972-75 by the Sooners.
Selmon also excelled in the classroom, earning recognition as a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (1975 First Team and 1974 Second Team) and a four-time Academic All-Big Eight selection. He was inducted into the CoSIDA Academic All-America Hall of Fame in 2010.
Selmon was selected in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft by Tampa Bay. After a seven-year NFL career between the Buccaneers and San Diego Chargers, he returned to Oklahoma to work as an oil and gas consultant, later opening his own construction business.
His profile work in the community includes volunteering with the United Way, serving on the board of the Shine Foundation, chairing fundraising campaigns for the Sam Nobel Oklahoma Museum of Natural History, the American Lung Association, the Ronald McDonald House and the Children's Miracle Network. He was inducted into the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame in 2022. His son, Zac, is the director of athletics at Mississippi State.
